Cumberland Township near Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Camp Colt
The Tank Corps was new. There were no precedents except in basic training and I was the only officer in the command. Now I really began to learn about responsibility.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends
During World War I, the fields of Pickett's Charge became crowded with tents, barracks, workshops, and firing ranges. In March of 1918, Captain Dwight D. Eisenhower had been sent here to take command of Camp Colt, the home of the U.S. Army's new technology, the tank. It was Eisenhower's first independent command. His job - "to take in volunteers, equip, organize, and instruct them" - was made more difficult at first, because he had no tanks!
The fledgling Tank Corps practiced with machine guns mounted to flatbed trucks. They learned to repair engines and to tap out Morse code. By summer the soldiers practiced with three new Renault tanks. In the eight months before war's end, as many as 10,000 men passed through Camp Colt. Eisenhower's leadership here earned him the Distinguished Service Medal.
(Sidebar): Congress established Gettysburg National Military Park as a unit of the War Department in 1895. The army often used the old battlefield as a training camp. Camp Colt extended from where the housing development is on your right to Big Round To in the distance.
Erected by Eisenhower National Historic Site - National Park Service - U.S. Dept. of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World I. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #34 Dwight D. Eisenhower series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1918.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 48.98′ N, 77° 14.21′ W. Marker was near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. It was in Cumberland Township. Marker could be reached from the intersection of Emmitsburg Road and Long Lane, on the right when traveling south. Located in front of Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg National Military Park. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. Camp Colt: The Tank Corps (within shouting distance of this marker); Holding Their Line (within shouting distance of this marker); 8th Ohio Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); Companies G and I, 4th Ohio Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); Gettysburg (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 107th Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry (about 500 feet away); 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment (about 500 feet away); 111th New York Infantry (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
More about this marker. In the upper center is a photograph of Eisenhower, with fellow British and American officers at Camp Colt. The British officers served as advisers on the use of tanks.
In the upper right is a reproduction of a the cover of a magazine. The Tank Corps magazine, Treat 'Em Rough, was published for a time at Camp Colt. It carried war news as well as articles on camp life.
The background of the marker is a view of Camp Colt, with key battlefield locations indicated - the Vermont and Pennsylvania Monuments, The Round Tops, and the Codori Farm.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This wayside was replaced by a new version "Camp Colt: The Tank Corps"
Also see . . . Eisenhower at Gettysburg. His time at Camp Colt began a life long attachment to Gettysburg for Dwight Eisenhower. (Submitted on January 8, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 8, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,710 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 8, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on August 1, 2014, by Paul James Vecchio of Omaha ,, Ne.. 3. submitted on January 8, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4. submitted on February 21, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 5. submitted on January 8, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.